FG charges Nigerian and 3 foreigners to court for espionage

Judith Asuni (American) Florian Alexander Orpitx, Andy Lehmann (Germans) and Danjuma Saidu (Nigerian), are the suspects, who were formally arraigned before the court on a seven-count charge of conspiring to commit felony by agreeing to enter the environs of protected place and took photographs of things located therein and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(1) of the Official Secrets Acts, Cap 335, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 punishable under section 7 of the Act.

The accusations were not read to them because Mr. Salihu Aliyu, the Director of Public Prosecution, asked the trial judge; Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, to adjourn the case to enable the suspects go through the charges.
The judge turned down a request for bail by the suspects.
Instead, she ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) even as she fixed Friday for the accused persons to take their pleas and bring a formal application for bail.

Counsel to the 1st and 4th accused persons (Asuni and Saidu), Mr. Ayodele Kusamatu, had asked for bail for his clients on the grounds the accused have been in solitary confinement for over two weeks which he said is against the Nigerian constitution.
The applications for bail was refused by the Court prompting the defence lawyer to ask for a short date to enable him bring a formal bail application.

Counsel to the 2nd and 3rd accused persons (Orpitz and Lehmann), Ade Okeaya-Inneh, said that they were bound by the court’s expediency noting that they would be asking for a short date most probably Friday to bring their bail application.

Responding, the DPP told the court that none of the accused person has been in detention beyond one week.
Kusomatu prayed the court to allow the 1st and 4th accused persons access to their lawyers and families noting that the 1st accused has a medical condition and would need to have access to her family to enable them get her the necessary medication.

Justice Nyako, in adjourning the matter to Friday for the accused to take their plea and move bail applications, ordered that they be given unfettered access to their families, lawyers and medication.
Meanwhile, the SSS on Wednesday searched the Woji Road, Port Harcourt, office of the Academy Peaceworks of Dr. Asuni.  Led by a lady, the five-man squad finished the search at about 6.30pm. Items taken away by the officers include two laptops, a central processing unit, a safe and pictures of Niger Delta youths she had been working with.

The officers took inventory of the items and left with one David Isotu who witnessed the search. It was on the understanding that Isotu would follow them to their office where photocopies of the inventory would be made and a copy handed over to him as they could not get a place in the house to make the photocopy.

The officers had obtained a search warrant which they showed to security men at the gate, who thereafter allowed them to conduct the search.